Modern business processes, also referred to as “workflows”, generate a significant amount of information. In the past, much of this information was created and maintained using paper-based systems. As a result, paper documents were often shuffled from one department, or person, to another to accomplish a particular set of tasks, i.e., a workflow. Increasingly, organizations are turning to electronic systems where electronic documents are favored over paper documents. Transferring electronic documents so as to automate, or semi-automate, a workflow usually is easier and more efficient than shuttling the equivalent paper documents between different entities.
Still, many organizations utilize a combination of paper documentation and electronic documentation. Despite the particular reason for using both paper and electronic documents, the co-existence of the two mediums within an organization can result in complex workflows and business practices. Both paper documents, or other physical assets as the case may be, and the electronic documents must be accounted for within the workflows. This accounting may include tracking the physical location of paper documents, limiting the access of selected personnel to paper documents and/or electronic documents, or the like.